St. John’s SNS, Arklow

🌈 We are so proud to announce that we have completed Year 1 of the Autism Friendly Schools Programme with AsIAm. 💙
Our commitment to becoming a more inclusive and supportive school began with a group of parents in our school community who are involved in the Autism Friendly Towns Programme. We are so grateful to them for encouraging us to get involved and for supporting us on this journey.

A huge part of this work has been our Autism Friendly Schools working group, made up of pupils, staff and parents. The ideas and improvements all came from this group, ensuring that our approach reflects the voices and experiences of our whole school community. 👏

Some of the changes we introduced this year include:

📸 A photograph and name of staff displayed on the door of each room, helping pupils know who they will meet in each space.

📚 New library books in every class celebrating and explaining different neurodiversities, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and more.

🔊 A more sound-sensitive approach when using the school intercom, recognising that unexpected noise can be challenging for some pupils.

💙 Continued focus on awareness, acceptance and inclusion across our school.

This is just the beginning of our Autism Friendly Schools journey, and we are excited to continue learning, improving and creating a school where every child feels understood, valued and supported.

A special thank you to our pupils, staff, parents and wider school community for embracing this important work. 🌈

St. John's Speech and Drama Group were presented with their certificates today having completed exams with the Irish Board of Speech and Drama. A very high standard was achieved by students this year and Ms Riley and the whole school community are very proud.

⏳ Time Capsule 2026 ⏳

Ms Kinsella's 6th Class recently had the honour of contributing to a special RNLI time capsule, which will be opened in 50 years' time as part of the celebrations marking 200 years of the Lifeboat Station in Arklow.

After much discussion and planning, the class selected a range of items to represent life in 2026, including our school crest, coins, football and Pokémon cards, a squishie, a Labubu, a map of Arklow, an Arklow Music Festival certificate and class photos. They also completed mini-projects on topics such as life in St. John’s, schools, amenities, prices and pop culture in 2026.

A special thank you to Ms Spencer Hobbs' class for contributing letters, artwork and photos, and to the two 6th Class girls who proudly represented our school at the event and placed our box into the time capsule.

A wonderful initiative and a unique opportunity to leave a snapshot of life in 2026 for future generations. We were delighted to be part of it! 🚤⚓📦✨

🌟 Our recent Table Quiz & Fundraiser Raffle for Equine Therapy was a huge success! 🌟
This would not have been possible without the incredible support and generosity of the wonderful businesses listed below — thank you so much for helping make the night such a success. 💙

A huge thank you also to all the parents and staff who kindly donated prizes.

This fantastic fundraiser involved a lot of hard work from the teachers and SNAs in the Hawthorn, Oak and Willow rooms, and we are so grateful for all their efforts.

A very special thank you goes to Ms Hurley, whose passion, enthusiasm and dedication made the entire event possible. ✨

We are so appreciative of everyone who supported this special cause! 🐴💙

Our 6th Class students thoroughly enjoyed their second “Day in the Life of a Secondary School Student” yesterday! 📚✨

Throughout the day, they took part in lessons including English, Maths, Geography, CSPE, Business, Music, French and Art. It was another fantastic opportunity for students to practise moving between classes, organising books and folders from their lockers, working with different teachers, and mixing with other 6th Class students outside of their own classroom.

A few pictures from Art today where the four classes embraced their inner Michelangelo by recreating part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling upside down — giving them a real appreciation for the incredible work that went into this masterpiece! 🎨

Great fun - and plenty of learning - was had by all. Well done to all students for participating so enthusiastically and for showing such excellent manners throughout the day. 👏😊

More winners from our amazing raffle to raise funds for Equine Therapy for Hawthorn, Oak and Willow rooms!!!

💙 We are delighted to share that an amazing €759 was raised through our PA Non-Uniform Fundraiser — triple our usual amount!
All funds raised will be donated towards Eímear Byrne’s life-saving treatment. We were so happy and privileged to be involved in last week’s Tapathon for Eímear, and we are incredibly proud of the generosity shown by our whole school community.

Pictured are members of our fantastic PA and Student Council after all donations were counted 👏✨

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed and supported this very special cause, and to Jeremy Craine for the wonderful drone footage from last Friday 🎥💙

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BonmMnsFvQc&ra=m

📣 Join us tonight for our Table Quiz at 8pm in The Old Ship!
There’ll be plenty of fun, great questions, and a raffle with fabulous prizes to be won 🎟️✨

Bring your friends, test your knowledge, and support a great night out. We’d love to see you there!

We’d really appreciate your support to help fund Equine Therapy for our Hawthorn, Oak and Willow rooms.